


Tumble Into His Arms

by WhiskersandQuiff



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Clumsy!Phil, Dance Instructor!Dan, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Swing Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 00:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13986957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskersandQuiff/pseuds/WhiskersandQuiff
Summary: Dan is a swing dancing instructor that teaches a confused and clumsy Phil how to dance. Cue tripping and falling, flirting, and some teasing from some friends.





	Tumble Into His Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to Elizajane ([snowbunnylester](http://snowbunnylester.tumblr.com/)) for betaing! She's really cool and helpful.

"Come on, Phil, it'll be fun! You can learn how to dance and get out, and who knows, maybe you'll even meet somebody interesting!"

Phil rolled his eyes over the phone. "I'm unbelievably clumsy and you know it. Dancing would definitely not go well for me."

"But you haven't gone out with us in so long. Please, Phil? A whole group of us is going and we'd love to have you there," Cornelia begged.

Phil thought for a minute. He definitely needed to do something active for once. He had been cooped up in his flat for the last week, too lazy to go out into the winter weather, but he was getting stir crazy (well, that and the last time he climbed all the stairs to get his pizza delivery he was horrendously out of breath, but nobody needed to know that). He sighed.

"Fine, I guess I'll come."

"Yes!" Cornelia yelled in excitement. "We'll have so much fun!"

"Text me the details. What day is it again?"

"It's tomorrow at 8pm. I'll text you the location and a reminder to make sure you come."

"Thanks. I'll see you then."

"See you!"

Phil hung up the phone. _What have I gotten myself into?_

~~~~~~~~~~

The next night saw Phil dressing in comfortable layers, as he figured this exercise would require a tee, but it was still way too cold to go outside without a sweater and a coat. He was carpooling to the dance studio with Cornelia, Martyn, PJ, and Sophie, so he waited for them to arrive at his flat. He contemplated calling the whole thing off, since he really was worried he would accidentally knock someone over, but got a text from Martyn before he could tell them to leave him behind.

 **Let's go, Phil! We don't wanna be late!** Received 7:45.

Phil sighed and left his flat. He had a nice time catching up with his friends in the car, so he figured that maybe it wouldn't be too bad of a night. If nothing else, he would enjoy spending time with people other than the delivery people.

When they arrived at the studio, Phil's anxiety kicked in again. _I'm going to step on so many feet and knock people over, oh my god. Why did I agree to this?_

"Phil. You're gonna be fine. This is just a beginners' class, so everyone is gonna be totally clueless and tripping over each other, okay?" Martyn said. He always knew exactly what Phil was worried about and how to get him out of his own head, a talent for which Phil was greatly appreciative.

"Okay. Thanks," Phil replied sheepishly.

They walked into the building, quickly finding the large studio for the lesson. The room had mirrors on two of the walls, the other two being painted white. A few people were already there, including a man and a woman who seemed to be the instructors, given how they seemed to be the most comfortable in the room. They were both tall and held themselves proudly. Phil watched as the man laughed loudly at something the woman said, accidentally making eye contact with him before Phil glanced away, feeling as though he had intruded on a private moment.

"These people look friendly, don't they, Phil?" said Martyn.

Phil nodded, smiling slightly. He had just realized that he was the fifth wheel and would have to either sit out or partner up with some stranger, and he was not entirely comfortable with that idea, but he tried not to show it.

The studio continued to fill with people until there were about 20 other people in the room, and the lesson began.

The woman stepped out to the middle of the room, the man following closely behind.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the Dancing Leprechauns Dance Studio! We're glad you could make it to learn some swing dancing with us today. I am Vanessa and my dance partner here is Dan. We'll be showing you just a basic swing step today, so let's get started."

Phil gulped. This was where he would start showcasing his less-than-decent balance and poise.

The instructors had everyone get into a circle around them so that they could give a demonstration of how professional dancers could swing dance.

"This is just East Coast Swing, but there are plenty of other kinds of swing out there for more advanced dancers. Here's how it looks," Vanessa said before starting some music through a bluetooth speaker.

Dan took Vanessa's right hand in his left and placed his other hand on her shoulder blade. They rocked in time to the beat for a moment before they were off, stepping in time and spinning in a series of movements that Phil's totally inexperienced eye had a hard time following. His eyes widened as Dan lifted Vanessa into the air at one point, terrified that he might have to do the same thing. After a minute or so of this, they stopped dancing and looked at the waiting group of students.

"You all have these terrified looks on your faces, but it's fine! We definitely won't make you do lifts today, as that would be way too advanced for beginners," Dan reassured.

"Alright, everybody, this step is almost the same for both leaders and followers, so we'll teach you as a group and then divide you into pairs. First, take a step to the left, making your legs shoulder-width apart," instructed Vanessa. "What we're about to do is called a chasse. You're just going to follow your left leg with your right leg, like this." She demonstrated the movement and the whole room followed suit. "Good, now step with your left leg again-" everyone followed the instruction- "and then repeat this process, but this time moving to your right. Now do that triple step a few times, alright?"

Phil nearly fell over approximately three times the first few times he tried to do this step, but eventually mostly got the hang of it. Just when he was starting to feel proud of himself, Dan spoke up to give them the next step.

"Now that you've got that down, we're going to do it in time. The steps should be on one-and two, three-and-four, okay?" Dan demonstrated the steps as he talked. The room copied his movements to the beat he called out for a moment before he stopped again. "Alright, time to add the last bit. This will go on beats five and six. So, you've just finished triple stepping right, and now you're going to rock-step. Take your left leg and step back for beat five, then step forward on your right leg for beat six, like this."

Phil was already sweating hopelessly, and this did not seem like it would make anything easier, but he gave it his best attempt. Luckily, he still had not fallen over, so he considered the class so far to be a win. And maybe he was even having a little fun, sure.

"In time, it should look like this," Vanessa said and practiced the movements. "Go ahead and join in."

 _I'm actually doing this!_ Phil thought with pride. _This is amazing!_

After a few minutes of stepping like that, music joining the equation at some point, the instructors paused everyone.

"Take a quick water break and then we'll start teaching you how to dance in pairs."

Phil breathed a sigh of relief. He was already exhausted and it hadn't even been fifteen minutes, so a short break would do him good.

"What do you think so far, guys?" asked Cornelia.

"I'm enjoying myself, I think," said Sophie.

"It's way more tiring than I expected, but overall good," PJ added.

Martyn nodded his agreement as he took a sip of water. "What about you, Phil?"

"It's fun. You were right."

Martyn grinned. "I'm always right!"

Phil rolled his eyes and drank some water. He was just about to reply, but the instructors called them back, so Phil just let it go and rejoined the circle.

"Now we need to split you all up into groups of leaders and followers. It doesn't have to be men as leaders and women as followers, as most people assume, but you can choose whichever side makes you most comfortable. If you want to be a leader, please cross to this side of the room and followers cross to that side," directed Dan.

Phil chose the leaders side as he didn't really know what he was doing and figured doing what most people did would make him feel more at ease. Hopefully.

Dan and Vanessa counted up all the people on each side and evened out the numbers as best they could between the two groups.

"Leaders, everything will be the same for you, so you can just stand there for a moment. Followers, you have been starting on your left foot but now will have to switch to your right. So triple step right, triple step left, rock step starting with your right, like this." Vanessa demonstrated the move. "Good! Get used to that a minute, and leaders, you can practice your step, too, if you like."

Phil decided that any opportunity to practice was an opportunity he should definitely take to try to better his coordination, so he danced along as best he could.

"Okay, looks like you guys have it, so now we're going to put you together in pairs. Leaders, stay where you are; followers, you go ahead and find a partner."

Phil deflated slightly at this. He had counted up the people in the room earlier and there definitely were too few followers by only one person, so he could already tell he would be the one person not chosen.

Sure enough, he was right. He looked down the line of leaders and noticed that everyone had paired up with someone already except for him.

"Oh, we have one too few followers. Dan, could you go join our lonely leader over there?" asked Vanessa.

"Sure thing."

 _Wait, what? I'm dancing with a male instructor? An attractive one, at that? Oh dear. I'm going to make a complete fool of mys_ -

"And now, introduce yourself to your partner if you don't know each other already."

"Hey there, I'm Dan."

"Um. Hi? I'm Phil."

"Is this your first time dancing?"

Phil blushed bright red. "Am I that obvious?"

Dan chuckled a bit. "Well, I am a professional. But don't worry, you're doing really well so far! I've seen people do way worse on their first attempt, believe me."

Phil let out a weak laugh. "Thanks. I'm doing my best, at least."

"Okay, now we need to teach you how to properly hold your partner. As I have lost mine, I'll have Dan explain."

Dan took Phil by the hand and guided him in front of the group, which had Phil's heart racing.

 _Oh my god, I'm too awkward for this. Help_ , Phil thought.

"Leaders, hold out your left hand palm-up, like so."

Phil followed Dan's example.

"Good. Followers, place your right hand in your leader's left, like this." Dan gently put his hand in Phil's, curving his fingers slightly to match Phil's. "Your hands should be curved so they look a bit like a ball in a socket so you'll have the freedom to spin later on." Dan looked around, making sure everyone was ready to continue. "Now, leaders, put your right hand on your partner's shoulder blade."

Phil raised his arm warily, barely resting it on Dan's back. Dan quirked an eyebrow in response, then reached around to adjust Phil's position slightly, making his palm lie flat on Dan's back, holding gently but firmly.

"You should look like this right now," Dan said, slowly turning them in a circle to show the students. His left arm hung loosely at his side, over Phil's. Vanessa went around, carefully correcting people's stances as needed.

Phil let himself be moved, though he unfortunately made eye contact with Martyn, who wiggled his eyebrows at Phil's apparent discomfort. It wasn't necessarily that he was that uncomfortable, though. He didn't mind having a male partner, of course, and this position was actually fairly comfortable, but he did feel a bit strange being so close to a total stranger. He could clearly see Dan's features from here, including his gorgeous brown eyes, amazing dimple, and fantastic nose. He didn't even know he had a thing for noses until now, but here he was, admiring a complete stranger's nose from a distance of less than his forearm.

Dan placed his right arm on Phil's shoulder, and Phil jumped. He hadn't been paying attention for a few seconds, but apparently the class was keeping up well enough that Dan was already moving on to the last part of the pose.

"Alright, now that you've gotten that bit down, time to try to dance!"

Phil gulped. This would be the hardest part, and he really didn't want to embarrass himself, even though this man was definitely Vanessa's boyfriend and he really shouldn't be letting himself feel like he would with a crush.

Vanessa started the music again and counted off a slow beat for everyone to try dancing to.

Disaster struck immediately.

As soon as Phil began to try to move, he stepped on something squishy. He heard a small noise of pain from Dan and immediately tried to remove his foot, but it somehow got tangled in the mess of legs and Phil felt himself falling.

"Whoa!" Phil yelped. He landed hard on the ground, taking Dan toppling down with him. "I am so sorry, oh my god! I'm such a klutz! Are you okay?"

Dan laughed, pushing himself up and off of Phil. He held out a hand to help haul Phil back up.

"I'm fine! I've had people stomp on my feet like an elephant, and I've had people knock me over. It's perfectly normal and comes with this job."

Phil took Dan's rather large hand and pulled himself up from the floor. "I still feel bad, though," he mumbled.

"Really, it's fine. The first time I tried to dance with someone, I stepped on their feet a grand total of twelve times and lost my balance more times than I care to remember. You're definitely not alone in this."

Phil smiled a little. "Thanks."

"No problem. Shall we?" Dan held out his hand.

"Yeah," Phil said, resuming the proper stance. They tried again, this time a little more carefully, and Phil relaxed into the dance. He was sweaty and exhausted, that was for sure, but he was really enjoying himself (maybe part of that was that his dance partner was exactly his type and extremely nice... okay, maybe it was a majority of the reason he was having fun, sue him).

As Phil got more comfortable, Dan began to ask him questions about his job and his interests.

"I work at the BBC with the radio, just running the equipment and stuff."

"Wow, that's awesome! I thought about maybe doing something with radio or that kind of entertainment, but dancing is really much more my speed. I've been doing it my whole life, really."

"That's cool. I wish I had something like that, where I had built up my talent for years since I was a kid, but I have a feeling it would've come out something like my walking ability. Which is to say, badly."

Dan laughed at that. "Come on, you're dancing with me in time, and talking at the same time! That's an accomplishment that you wouldn't have been able to do if you were terrible at walking."

"You would be surprised at the stories I have- er, what's your last name?"

"Howell."

"You'd be surprised at the stories I have, Howell."

"Did you really just ask me my last name just to challenge me with funny stories?"

"Definitely."

"Well, you better deliver, then, Phil..." Dan paused, waiting for Phil to supply him with a last name.

"Lester."

"So, what are these stories, Lester?"

"I'm not sure I can say while we're dancing, honestly. I'm a bit out of breath," Phil said apologetically. He really was out of breath; exercise was not something he did often, and this sure pushed his limits.

"Oh, fair enough. Sometimes I forget that other people don't do this nearly as much as I do. If you're tired, we can take a quick break?"

"No, I should be fine. I'll just stop talking for a minute."

"We should probably call a break for the group soon, anyway."

Seconds later, Vanessa stopped the music. "You guys are doing really well! Take another quick water break and we'll teach you a few fun moves you can throw in to make the steps more interesting."

"Go on and get some water, okay? I'll be over talking to Vanessa about what we're doing next," Dan said, releasing Phil from their stance and stepping back.

Phil nodded and smiled before turning and rejoining his group of friends.

"Well, Philly, how was that?" teased Martyn.

Phil blushed. "It was good. I think he really helped me figure out what I was doing, once I stopped stepping on his feet."

"We noticed you guys fall, are you okay?" asked Sophie.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just tripped over my own feet, is all. You know how clumsy I can be."

They moved on from Phil's experience to what everyone else was thinking, which Phil was immensely grateful for. He appreciated their concern but he really didn't want to be the center of attention anymore. He kept glancing over at Vanessa and Dan, who seemed to be having an interesting conversation. Dan kept blushing as Vanessa poked at his arm a bit, which made Phil feel a bit uncomfortable. Was Dan weirded out by dancing with someone he barely knew when he was already dating someone? Phil knew he was a professional, but he couldn't help but wonder if some feelings of discomfort couldn't be avoided.

After a few minutes, Vanessa and Dan called them back.

"Okay, we're gonna teach just a few more things, and then we'll turn you loose to practice everything on your own," said Vanessa.

"First, we'll teach you a spin. Leaders, this will be pretty easy for you. Followers, you'll have a slightly more complicated role here. When you spin, you will go underneath your arm and your partner's arm, spinning outwards from the hold. Leaders, make sure you raise your arm high enough that your follower will have enough room to turn. Please do not clothesline your partner." Dan cheekily glanced at Phil as he said that particular line, which made Phil blush again. Dan used Phil to demonstrate how the steps were supposed to go, then watched as everyone else tried it.

Vanessa corrected a few positions and then made everyone do a bunch of spins to make sure they knew what was going on. "Alright, let's try that with some music. Go ahead and take your time doing the spin. You don't have to do a spin every time, but just dance along to the music and do what feels right."

Dan and Phil assumed the dance position again and waited for the music.

"Before you jump into the dance, try feeling the beat and rocking so you can get into it," Dan suggested.

Phil tried it, and it worked like a charm. When he began to step with the music this time, he didn't step on Dan's foot or fall over. He didn't even feel a bit off-balance, which was shocking, to say the least.

Phil grinned. "You're magic."

Dan laughed. Phil was really beginning to like that sound. "I've had lots of practice, but I wouldn't say I'm necessarily magic."

Phil raised his arm for a spin, which Dan followed.

"Good job! You kept in time with the beat and raised your arm high enough, well done!" Dan exclaimed.

Phil practically glowed with pride. He didn't know when this fun little dancing experiment had become something so serious for him, but hearing the encouragement really made him feel better about his earlier mistakes.

They danced for the rest of the song, discussing their favorite music and shows. They had just begun an intense discussion about the plot of Deathnote when the song ended and Vanessa called them back again to teach the last move.

Phil didn't really pay attention to what was happening, just letting Dan guide his arms around to get him to use the proper technique. Phil was too busy thinking about how to respond to Dan's comments about Deathnote to worry about dancing, really.

When the music started again, Phil immediately launched into his response while dancing. Dan threw his comments right back, their conversation dancing just as much as their feet, until Dan spoke up about something else.

"Hey, Phil?"

"Yes?"

"Have you been paying any attention to what you've been doing?"

Phil fumbled a bit, but kept dancing. "Oh no, what have I done wrong?"

"Nothing! You're doing great!"

"Oh, good," Phil sighed in relief. "I really haven't paid any attention, sorry."

"That's fine, I just wanted to tell you that you just spun me around a few times and incorporated our latest move like it was no big deal, all while carrying on a conversation. I know you've never danced before, so this progress is honestly incredible."

Phil gaped. "I- Really?"

"Really! You're practically a natural, now that you've relaxed!"

Phil's mouth hung open in shock. "I really don't know what to say."

"Be proud, Phil. This is an accomplishment."

Phil blushed again, feeling very flustered. "Tha-"

Of course, since Dan had to say something, Phil's clumsiness had to rear its ugly head again. This time, Phil stepped in the wrong direction and lost the beat entirely, tripping over his own feet again, but this time he fell on top of Dan.

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

They stayed on the floor for a few seconds, trying to figure out what had just happened, before Dan burst out laughing again.

"I had to say something, didn't I? I jinxed it, I'm sorry."

" _You're_ sorry? I fell on you! I knocked you over again, I'm so sorry!"

Dan kept laughing. "It's fine, I told you before! You really do get used to it in this job."

Phil frowned a little. "That's a pretty unfortunate thing to have to be used to."

"Oh my god, Phil, it's okay! I can practically feel you worrying still."

"I'm sorry-"

"Phil. Quit apologizing, really. There's no harm done. Besides, this is hilarious."

Phil's lips quirked up a bit at that. "It is kinda, isn't it?"

"It really is."

They were quiet for a moment, not looking at each other, until Phil looked up into Dan's eyes. Dan started laughing again, and Phil couldn't help it this time when he joined in. They laughed hysterically for the rest of the song, still lying on the floor like a couple of idiots.

"Alright, I'm just gonna play a few songs in a row here while you guys dance and practice everything we just taught you for the rest of our time here. Thank you for coming and joining us, I hope you had a lovely time!" said Vanessa.

Dan snapped out of it then, which made Phil a little bit sad. He was really enjoying their time here in their own little world.

They stood up again and continued dancing, this time in a comfortable silence.

Phil was really content. He was tired, for sure, and even sweatier than earlier, but he was enjoying his time with Dan and learning how to dance. It was going so much better than he had expected, although he was still a bit embarrassed about falling over twice. After a few minutes, he decided to ask Dan a question that had been worrying him for a while now.

"Does it bother you when you dance with someone who isn't your girlfriend?"

Dan started. "What?"

"Like... Does it bother you that you can't dance with her and have to dance with people like me sometimes?"

"Wait, are you talking about Vanessa?"

"Um. Yes?"

Dan let out a hyena laugh. "She's not my girlfriend! Oh my god, that's hilarious. No, it doesn't bother me at all. We're dance partners, and the best of friends, but we are not dating. I'm single and hella gay."

Phil blinked. "Oh." His brain caught up with the conversation again and he blushed. "Oh," he said again.

Dan snorted a little laugh. "Yeah, 'Oh'."

"So am I. Gay and single, I mean."

Dan chuckled. "Good to know."

Phil blushed a bit harder.

"Now that I know this won't be taken the wrong way, I would just like to say that I find you to be unbelievably cute," said Dan.

Phil tripped again, but Dan was apparently expecting it and caught him this time. Phil found himself with his face pressed against Dan's neck and Dan's arms wrapped around his waist.

Giggling, Dan steadied Phil again, but kept him closer than before. "Your clumsiness is probably the most adorable part of you so far."

“Daaaaaan,” Phil whined, “You’re making me blush.”

“And you’re not letting me see? How rude. I’ll have you know that your blush is very high up on the list of cute things about you,” Dan teased.

Phil swatted Dan’s arm, but looked up at his face again. Dan’s eyes were twinkling with mischief, and Phil found himself wondering whether there was anything he could do to keep himself from coming across as desperate at this point.

They had stopped dancing when Phil fell, and were now standing at one end of the dance floor, clogging the dance traffic, but Phil couldn’t bring himself to care. Dan was too kind, and funny, and cute, for Phil to want to think about anybody else just then.

“Well, I think you’re incredibly attractive, Howell, despite how you’re a jerk for messing with me so much.”

“Oooh bringing back the last name, how intimidating, _Lester_.”

Phil giggled quietly.

“That’s all we have time for, everybody! Thank you once again for coming to our swing lessons! We’d like to invite you to come again, bring a friend maybe, and check the lobby for our dancing lesson brochures. Have a great night!” said Vanessa.

Phil quickly but reluctantly pulled away from Dan when he noticed that his group was gathering their coats and water bottles and pretending not to notice him with Dan. The air between them grew tense and awkward in a way it hadn’t been all night. Phil hated it.

“I- um. I have to go,” he said. He didn’t make a move to return to his friends and brother.

Dan nodded. “Will you come for lessons again?”

“I don’t know. I’d like to. Do you always teach them?”

“Not always, no. Often, though.”

“I might, then.”

“I could text you my teaching schedule?”

“But you don’t have my num- oh. _Oh_.” Phil’s eyes widened. “You were- oh.” Phil giggled, the tension between them breaking. “Where can I write it? I don’t have a pen. I mean, I know people usually just put it directly into their phones these days, but I feel like it would be risky to have your phone on you while swing danci-“

“Phil, stop! My phone’s right over there, you spork,” Dan said fondly. He pointed at the station Vanessa stood at with the speaker and two gym bags. “Come on.”

Phil was sure his cheeks were just permanently red now from how much he’d been blushing all night, but he followed Dan to the small table.

Dan purposefully didn’t look at Vanessa, but she sent Phil a wink.

“So, it worked, huh?” she asked Dan in a way that made it sound more like a statement than a question.

Dan twitched and looked up to send her a warning glare.

“As soon as you walked in, he told me he wanted to talk to you. When we took one of our breaks, he said he wanted to ask you out. Wouldn’t stop talking about how cute you are, or how nice you are, or how amazing it is that he found somebody who likes the same sho-“

“Here’s my phone, Phil! It was just buried in my bag over here, but now you can put your number in-“

Phil laughed at the sight of a flustered Dan. It was a nice change from being the flustered one. He took the phone from Dan’s hands and put his number in.

“There. Now maybe you can use that to actually ask me out sometime,” Phil said with an attempted (and failed) wink.

Dan grinned, the patch of blush on his jaw furiously red. He leaned forward and kissed Phil on the cheek. “I definitely will.” He (successfully) winked, which just about made Phil fall over again in a swoon this time.

“Phil! We’re ready to go!” called Martyn.

“Yeah, quit flirting!” added PJ.

“I- uh- I guess I’m leaving. Text me?” Phil asked nervously.

“Of course.” Dan smiled. “Bye, Phil.”

“Bye, Dan.”

Phil walked over to rejoin his group and pick up his stuff.

“Well, that was fun. Wasn’t it, boys?” asked Cornelia.

“I think it was more fun for some of us than others,” PJ chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows. Sophie elbowed him. “Ouch! Hey!”

Phil blushed but didn’t comment. Luckily for him, Cornelia and Sophie didn’t let their boyfriends tease him any more than they already had.

The group walked out of the dance studio, Phil glancing back once to see Vanessa bumping Dan’s arm playfully. Dan was looking back at him with a soft smile and a blush on his face. Phil quickly turned away, smiling to himself.

In the car on the way back, the group talked about what they had learned and how clumsy they had been, mostly laughing at Phil for falling over as much as he had.

“Hey, I didn’t fall over _that_ much!”

“You fell like four times!” countered Martyn.

“I only fell twice, thank you very much. Three times, if you count the time Dan caught me.”

“He _what_?!”

_They didn’t notice when it happened? Oh no. I didn’t want them to know! And now there’s no way to talk myself out of it. Here we go, then._

“Well, you see, um. I tripped into him towards the end there? And he was expecting it and caught me before I could bring us both to the ground, I guess?”

“Oh my god! Was that why you two were so close together?”

Phil gulped and nodded.

“What a great move, Philly. You really got his attention there,” Martyn teased.

Phil was about to defend himself, but he heard his phone go off with a text. He looked down at it and couldn’t help his elated giggle.

“What? What’s it say? Is it from him?” Martyn interrogated desperately. He lunged forward in his seat, over Cornelia, and grabbed the phone to read it to the rest of the car.

“Oooh, it is from Sexy Dance Instructor Dan, after all! He says,” Martyn affected a comically deep voice, “‘I was going to be suave and text you tomorrow, but I couldn’t help myself. Would you like to go out sometime?’ My little brother, all grown up and getting dates!”

“Martyyyn,” Phil whined. “Give it back!”

Cornelia took pity on Phil and plucked the phone out of Martyn’s hands, giving it to Phil with a wink. “Go get him, Phil.”

Phil gave her a lopsided grin, and turned his attention to his phone. He pondered for a minute, then replied.

 **I was going to play hard-to-get and leave you on read until tomorrow, but I couldn’t help myself, either. I’d really like that.** Sent 10:14pm. Read 10:14pm.

 **Great. I’ll plan something that doesn’t involve dancing, I think. Wouldn’t want you to fall over and hurt yourself ;)** Received 10:16pm.

“What’d you say? And what’s he saying now?” Martyn pestered.

“That’s none of your business,” Phil replied easily.

Sighing dramatically, Martyn let it go while Phil returned his attention to his phone.

 **I think I did pretty alright, if you ask me! But that might be a good idea…** Sent 10:18pm. Read 10:20pm.

 **Coffee this weekend?** Received 10:21pm.

 **Definitely**. Sent 10:22pm. Read 10:22pm.

Phil put his phone down and tried to tune in to the conversation in the car again. PJ was telling a crazy story up in the front while Sophie drove. Martyn sent a mischievous look over Cornelia’s head and wiggled his eyebrows, so Phil ignored him and listened to PJ.

He turned his head when he felt a nudge and saw Cornelia smiling gently at him. She gave him a wink and patted his leg. Phil smiled back. His brother really did get lucky with her.

“I guess you did meet somebody interesting, hmm?” she whispered conspiratorially.

Phil’s cheeks burned pink, hopefully for the last time that night, and he nodded.

“Good. Have a good date, okay?”

Phil nodded again. “Thank you.”

He sat silently for the rest of the trip, just enjoying being with his friends. When they dropped him off, he walked into his flat and sighed like a lovestruck leading lady in a romcom.

Phil took a shower and got into bed, replaying the events of the night in his head. He giggled and picked up his phone again.

 **Is it bad that I can’t stop thinking about this date?** Sent 11:04pm. Read 11:05pm.

 **That’s really cute (I can’t stop either)** Received 11:06pm.

 **Thanks for teaching me to dance. And dealing with my clumsiness.** Sent 11:07pm. Read 11:07pm.

 **It was a pleasure**. Received 11:08pm.

 **I’m falling asleep**. Sent 11:10pm. Read 11:10pm.

 **Go to sleep, then. I’ll be here to text you tomorrow**. Received 11:11pm.

 **Okay. Goodnight Dan**. Sent 11:12pm. Read 11:12pm.

 **Goodnight Phil**. Received 11:13pm.

Phil put his phone down again and curled up under his covers. He yawned once, then sank into a deep sleep full of dreams of dancing with the cute dance instructor.

**Author's Note:**

> I also post to my Tumblr! See the rest of my fics [here](https://whiskersandquiff.tumblr.com/fics-masterlist)


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